Inspire South Africa 2025

From May 19th - 28th and October 11th - 20th, volunteers will work directly with vulnerable communities and children to facilitate educational programming, home or school rehabilitation, and packing and distributing packages. ​

Highlights

  • Cape Town, South Africa
  • Fundraising Target → $3,500 CAD per volunteer
  • Registration Fee → $475 CAD non-refundable registration fee is required once accepted into the Inspire program

Apply now

Program Requirements

The Inspire Volunteer Abroad Program is looking for participants who have the following criteria:

  • Over 18 years old of age
  • Able to attend orientation sessions and necessary training
  • Sincere interest and passion for helping others
  • Demonstrated leadership skills and ability to work as part of a team
  • Intercultural awareness and excellent intercultural communication skills
  • Able to work with youth and children
  • Formal or non-formal education or training relevant to the program
  • Flexible and adaptable in new, potentially stressful environments

Background

Islamic Relief Canada has been working in South Africa since 2013 and has implemented projects that address healthcare, food insecurity, education, livelihoods, and supporting orphans. This volunteer abroad program focuses on providing psychosocial support to children through camp programming, educational activities, and community service.

Since 2019, Inspire has held 4 field studies in South Africa, running educational and psychosocial support programs with orphans. In our previous Inspire field studies in South Africa, the volunteers worked with children in an Islamic Relief Canada-funded school, organized active learning activities for vulnerable children, and organized events for the local community. They also participated in rehabilitating homes.

Check out a previous volunteer's experience! 


Main activities

Volunteers will work directly with vulnerable communities and children/youth. They will facilitate educational programming for orphans and vulnerable children with enriching activities and programs. This programming will focus on life skills and leadership, team building, outdoor education, and other psychosocial activities. 

Volunteers will also assist communities through various means, according to their needs, including home or school rehabilitation, building Wendy Houses, and packing and distributing hygiene/food/livelihood packages.

Furthermore, volunteers will have the chance to:

  1. Visit the Islamic Relief project sites, meet and engage with the rights-holders to learn more about the sponsorship programs, and gain insight into their life stories.
  2. Learn about South Africa's history and participate in educational organized sightseeing activities on Robben Island, Iziko Museums, and Table Mountain.

Benefits of field study

The Inspire program aims to provide volunteers with a unique and eye-opening experience, where they immerse themselves in a completely different context than they are normally accustomed to. This program encompasses the “give and take” principle; it is an opportunity to give back to vulnerable communities overseas whilst learning and growing skills in an enriching environment. 

After completing the program, letters of reference will be given out to participants upon request. Participants will also be encouraged to continue volunteering with Islamic Relief Canada following the trip to continue their humanitarian efforts.


Fundraising Process

All accepted applicants are required to raise a minimum of $3,500 CAD each. The funds raised will support existing Islamic relief projects in Bosnia. We will provide each volunteer with a fundraising session that includes tips on how to raise money, how to engage your network, etc. We will also set up an online fundraising page for each volunteer to raise funds for their project. 

Donations will be allocated towards the Inspire program components and contribute to ongoing, long-term projects in the region. None of the donations will go towards the personal costs of the volunteers.

Accommodations & Costs

Islamic Relief Canada will cover your stay in Türkiye, including your accommodation, transportation within the country, food, and scheduled sightseeing activities. Please note that flights are NOT covered. Thus, the volunteer is responsible for purchasing their flights to and from Türkiye and mandatory health insurance.

Pre-Departure Training

Once accepted into the program, volunteers are required to complete a combination of mandatory virtual and online training sessions. There will be about 3-4 sessions in total, with an average duration of 2 hours each. The training will cover Fundraising, Team Building, Country Profile, Islamic Relief's History, Field Safety and Security, Activity Planning, Humanitarian Standards, and Passion Projects. The schedule will be released upon being accepted into the program. These training sessions are mandatory to attend. 

Reflections from our changemakers 

“It’s easier now to take a step back and appreciate the bigger picture in life. Spending time with the rights-holders helped me to realize that ultimately we are not in control of our life path, and whatever is meant for us will be ours.”

"Building relationships with fellow volunteers and Islamic Relief staff was one of my favourite aspects of the trip. The bonds we formed during these trips are unparalleled. Seeing the cultural diversity of all the people I met during the trip helped me to appreciate the beautiful diversity of our Ummah.”

“There was one day when we got a tour of BoKaap, a neighbourhood in Cape Town with a rich cultural and political history. The tour guide told us of his time fighting against apartheid, and he said there was a time when they received letters from a school in Canada. He said it had given them a much-needed boost in morale and that it had meant so much for them to know that people halfway across the world understood their struggle.